8 Back to the Future Technologies That Actually Exist

You may have seen a viral video lately of various celebrities playing around on what appears to be a real, live Hover Board, that magical toy we’ve all been waiting for ever since Back to the Future II was released. However, sadly it has been discovered the video was a hoax filmed for Funny or Die, meaning we still don’t have our freaking Hover Boards. Still, while we may not have a Hover Board, several other technological predictions from Back to the Future II have actually come true.

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8.

Video Telephones and Conferencing

Toward the end of the time spent in 2015 in Back to the Future II, young Jennifer witnesses old Marty get fired via a video call from his very angry boss, just moments after he made a shady deal with his old pal and coworker Needles, played by Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Flea. At the time, people probably thought it was absurd to suggest people would be making face to face calls like that, but look at pretty much every piece of technology around you. Skype is one of the most commonly used communications technologies in the world, and if you have an iPhone chances are you’ve used FaceTime before. Of all the technologies from Back to the Future II, this is probably the most widely used.

7.

Self-Lacing Nike Sneakers

Okay, so this is a technology that doesn’t quite exist yet, but Nike has announced that next year, to coincide with the timeframe of Back to the Future II, they will be unveiling the exact power lacing sneakers that Marty wore when he traveled into the future. These shoes were awesome even when watching the movie as a kid, so to think Nike is actually going to release them is the next coolest thing to getting a Hover Board for a lot of children of the 1980’s. It’s still not known how widely these sneakers will be released, or what exorbitant price you’ll have to pay for them if they actually are made available to the general public, but the mere fact they’re being released at all is enough to make our inner child giddy.

6.

Voice Controlled Television

In the same sequence that sees old Marty get fired from his job via a very Skype-like device, a few minutes earlier we see Marty McFly, Jr. turn on the TV and use voice commands to tell it what channels he wants to watch. For people who watched the movie back in 1989, it seems like such an astounding leap forward for laziness that it felt almost too good to be true. Well, here we are in 2014, and thanks to Smart TV’s you really can change the channel, increase the volume, and so forth with a few simple voice commands.

5.

3D IMAX Movies

Now the idea of 3D movies wasn’t new at the time of Back to the Future II. After all, the technology had already been around for a few decades, though it was largely nonexistent by the time the movie came out in 1989. However, when Marty finds himself wandering around 2015 he sees an ad for a Jaws movie presented in stunning new 3D technology. Well, look at the show times for the theater nearest you right now. At this point, pretty much every single blockbuster is released in state of the art 3D, and some movies are even released in 3D on the IMAX screen. Sadly, we’re still waiting for that next Jaws movie, so Back to the Future II really missed the mark on that one.